


Waves Crashing Over Me

by Spoodlemonkey



Series: Inktober/Goretober [14]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Cruises, Established Relationship, M/M, Monsters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 13:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12483020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spoodlemonkey/pseuds/Spoodlemonkey
Summary: Dick sees it this time, a strange shadow in the water a split second before the boat is hit again.





	Waves Crashing Over Me

**Author's Note:**

> I'm running out of title ideas clearly...unbeta'd and posted while at work so I'll have to go over it again later. I'm having a lot of fun with Bruce and Dick lately though. Let me know what you think :)

Gotham City Harbor is a mess of concrete, freighters and warehouses that the city has been trying to fix up for the better part of a decade. It's a cesspool of criminals and drug lords that flock there for the pseudo protection the miles of abandoned properties offer, for the dock workers who won’t bat an eye at something out of the ordinary, for shipments that come in only to be mysteriously misplaced. Batman spends the majority of his nights down by the water, busting drug rings, prostitution. For all of the villains locked up in Arkham there are triple that in petty criminals that take up the majority of their patrols. 

And of course Bruce Wayne is at the forefront of the committee to clean up the area, an area largely abandoned by Gotham police over the years, leaving the poor neighborhoods and slums unprotected, to fend for themselves. 

Which is how Dick finds himself at the grand christening of  _ The Queen of Gotham _ , a large cruise ship designed to bring wealth to the poorest area of Gotham, and to encourage the steadily declining tourism industry. Apparently people don’t want to vacation where there’s a  _ killer clown _ running around. 

The sea air is refreshing once they pull away from the harbor and the smog has cleared. It’s an overcast day, the sun hidden behind a slate of grey but it’s warm out, and he’s enjoying the view from the upper levels of the deck. 

Down below he can hear the socialites making small talk, can hear their laughter, more fake than not. He could have stayed home with Damian and Alfred but Bruce didn’t have a plus one, or so he said, and it had been a long time since Dick Grayson made an appearance in Gotham. His tuxedo jacket has been tossed over the rail next to him, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up carefully. He closes his eyes and for a moment basks in the sheer openness of the ocean ahead of them. 

There’s a shift in the air around him and then a warm hand comes to rest on his shoulder, squeezing gently before sliding down to press against his lower back. 

“Had a feeling I’d find  you up here.” 

He smiles, soaks in the warmth in Bruce’s voice for a moment. There was a ladder bolted to the wall that led up to this deck and so far none of the other socialites had even given it a second glance. It means he has the space to himself, gives him a chance to slip away, something Dick Grayson can afford. Bruce on the other hand,

“Shouldn’t you be posing with a heiress right now?” 

Bruce shrugs, his gaze calculating as he scans the horizon briefly, searching for any threats. He finds none, relaxes minutely. 

“I invited you as my date, I wouldn’t be a very good date if I left you by yourself.” The small curve of his lips has Dick flushing like he’s sixteen all over again and realizing he’s in love. He’s twenty-eight this year, he should be better at controlling his reactions by now.

“They don’t know that though,” he gestures at the crowd below. They’re not likely to be spotted from where they’re standing. He’s enjoying the people watching aspect of it. Bruce slides closer to his side, turns so his chest is pressing against Dick’s arm, leaning against the railing.

“Do you want them to know?”

“Hell no.” He laughs, imagining the chaos that would ensue if people found out who spent the nights in Bruce Wayne’s bed. Still, he likes to think that maybe some day Bruce would tell the world, even if it’s a reckless idea likely to bite them in the ass.

Most of their friends know and that’s more than enough for him. 

Bruce steps back, slides his hand over Dick’s ass and squeezes in a purely possessive way that has his him flushing for a whole new reason. He ducks down and presses a quick kiss to the back of Dick’s neck, safely out of sight of anyone down below. He groans, presses back into the touch.

“You asshole.” He murmurs, laughing. 

“Just a reminder of what I’m going to do when I get you home tonight.” Bruce’s teeth scrape lightly at the back of his neck and he bites his lip to keep the moan in. He wishes he were more daring, that Bruce was more prone to  _ this _ kind of idiocy rather than jumping off roof tops. He clamps down on that train of thought and resolves to get his revenge instead. They have a couple more hours before the cruise circles back into the harbor, he’s got plenty of time. 

He elbows Bruce, hard enough that the other man steps back with a quiet huff of laughter. He looks back out over the water. A thick fog has rolled in while he was distracted. The temperature is dropping without the meager sun making it through the clouds. He wonders if it’s going to rain. 

“We should get inside.” Bruce sounds reluctant. 

“Yeah, that pretty red head seemed to want your attention, she must be missing you.” He grins, teasing. 

The boat jolts so suddenly that he’s certain they’ve somehow run aground. He stays upright, grabbing the railing. Down below people scream and curse as they aren’t as lucky.

“Did we hit something?” He turns, peers over the railing but he can’t see much of the dark waters so far below. 

Bruce has already whipped out his phone, a moment later they can hear what’s happening on the bridge. 

There’s no may day going out, but there is a lot of confusion as machines are checked. They haven’t run aground of anything. 

Dick’s tensing up, his gut is telling him they need to head back  _ now _ . Bruce seems to feel the way because he taps a few commands into his phone and then is barking orders for them to turn back over it in his best  _ Batman _ voice. A slew of questions are thrown their way but they ignore them for now. 

“Any guesses?” He starts to ask when the ship is rocked again. Harder this time. The deck slants precariously and Dick grabs the railing with one hand, Bruce with the other. The screams are louder now, no longer mingled with irritation but with genuine fear. Splashes sound. The ship rights itself slowly. They rush to the other side of the deck. There are people down below, treading water, weighted down by elegant dresses and layers of tuxedos. A few of them don’t know how to swim, or at least not well. Life preservers are being thrown in, a few people have stripped down to jump in and help. Dick tears the buttons off his shirt as he gets it off, toes out of his shoes. Bruce’s tuxedo gets tossed carelessly behind them. He thinks, distantly, that this is how they finished off the last fundraiser they went to together. 

Dick sees it this time, a strange shadow in the water a split second before the boat is hit again. They’re hit on  _ this _ side this time and he goes flying, hits the deck and skids back towards the railing. His ears are ringing, he’s hit his head on something. Bruce snags the back of his under shirt, manages to stop them from sliding any further by wedging himself against a pipe. 

“Are you alright?” He yells over the cries from below. 

“Fine,” Dick wipes the blood from his eye, winces at the sting from his split eyebrow. He gets his feet underneath him, hauls Bruce up. They’re both going to have some bruises tomorrow. “I saw it.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know.” They hurry back to the railing. There are people in the water on both sides now, some fallen in, some jumping in to help. “But it’s big.”

“We need to find some way to stop it, or at least get it away from the ship.” Bruce hurries to the ladder and scales it, Dick following a moment later. He can imagine how they look, rushing by, half dressed, shoes missing, but no one pays them any mind. Panicked socialites and crew members rush around. A middle aged woman almost gets knocked overboard before Dick grabs her, rights her on her feet, only for her to rush off the second he’s let go. 

“Fuel.” Bruce suggests as they head towards the lower decks.

“We’ll end up setting the entire harbor on fire.” 

“We need a cannister and then we need bait.” 

“Lifeboats.” Some are already being deployed by frenzied looking crew members to help pull in all the people in the water.

The ship jolts, groans and tilts as they’re hit again. Furniture goes sliding by and he dodges a chair but not a flailing waiter as he loses his balance. The kid hits him square in the chest, grabs on as gravity takes hold and Dick stumbles. His back hits the railing and together they go tumbling over dropping down into the icy dark waters below.

He hits first, protects the kid from the drop and it’s like hitting a sheet of ice, solid, freezing and knocks the breath from his lungs. Sea water fills his mouth and he chokes, grabs hold of the dead weight of the kid and lurches back to the surface. His lungs are burning, eyes stinging against the salt and he wishes desperately he at least had his domino mask so he could  _ see _ . 

Dick breaks the surface, coughing, spitting out mouthfuls of seawater as the waves crash over him. He tugs the kid up, gets his head resting on his shoulder, and tries to catch his breath. 

He scans the decks above but he can’t pinpoint exactly where he fell from, just hopes Bruce is working on distracting this thing underneath them before it manages to sink  _ The Queen of Gotham _ . 

He glances down at the darkness underneath him, has to tear his eyes away before he starts picturing whatever it is coming up and picking them off one by one. 

Someone throws a life vest close to him and he swims over, grabs it and buckles the kid in as he starts to come around. He’s groggy but not concussed, and knows how to swim so Dick lets him swim over to a small group of people still treading water. He keeps an eye on them, knows how quickly it could turn deadly if they start to panic. 

The ship is rocked again, suddenly and Dick stares in horror as it starts to tip towards him. 

This is it, he thinks, if it falls, it will crush them. They’ll be swept under, they won’t survive it. 

Movement catches his eye, a dark shadow swims under him and in it’s wake he’s sucked under anyways. 

He kicks his legs, breaks the surface again. The ship has righted itself. He doesn't think it can take many more of these hits. 

And then there’s an explosion, far off the bow of the boat and something shudders, deep under the water. The waves rock back on them and he focuses on keeping his head above water. 

Something touches him then, smooth, solid. He yells, waiting for the searing pain as its teeth sink into his flesh. 

Nothing comes. 

Instead he’s lifted up, torso out of the water as a dolphin swims between his legs. The air on his skin has him shivering, worse than just being in the cold water. His teeth are chattering when Arthur goes by on a manta ray, Mera at his side. 

He stops himself from calling out to them. He’s just another victim to them today. 

Aquaman calls out and a moment later a giant head rises up, out of the water. It has smooth green skin and large dark unblinking eyes that stare down at the couple. Dick tenses, certain that it will lunge, despite what Arthur’s powers may or may not be.

“Nessie.” Dick can hear him now, realizes his dolphin is carrying him closer, either sensing his interest or wanting to be closer itself. Then it sinks in what he’s said. “You’re a long way from home.” 

Dick stares in awe at the giant creature. 

“Let’s get you back.” Mera actually reaches out and  _ Nessie _ ducks it’s head so she can pat it. Then it sinks back under the waves and out of sight. 

“What the  _ hell _ .” He breathes. The fog bank has mostly continued past them and hints of sunlight are showing through the grey sky. He wonders if there was a connection there. Most of the lifeboats are in the water now and in the distance he can see the coast guard's ships approaching. His dolphin drops him off at a lifeboat and there’s a surreal moment where he thanks it before it too disappears into the dark waters. Stuck on the tiny raft he has to sit back and watch as Arthur and Mera organize the rescue efforts. He wonders where Bruce is now. Wonders if he’s stuck on the sidelines as well. He hasn’t seen the familiar cowl or cape around yet so it’s safe to assume Batman won’t be making an appearance until they get back to shore at least. 

They end up getting towed back into the harbor, a slow journey made to feel even longer by the men talking about suing the cruise company once they get back. Dick makes a note of their names and faces for Bruce to deal with later, a sea monster isn’t the fault of the cruise line. 

He ducks the paparazzi and finds the limo where he knew he would, tucked quietly behind the A listers and out of sight of the press. Alfred greets him with a raised eyebrow and a blanket.

“There’s a change of clothes on the seat, Master Dick.”

Dick nearly cries at the prospect of dry, warm clothes. He’s been stuck in the wet clothes for the better part of an hour now, his fingers and toes numb in a way he  _ might  _ want to get checked out, but can  _ probably _ be fixed with a hot bath.

“And Master Bruce said not to wait up for him.”

Right, of course. 

“Thanks Al,” he collapses on the back seat, waits until they’re moving to strip down and change into the soft, old sweats and hoodie Alfred’s brought him. 

Traffic getting away from the docks is brutal and Dick dozes off. The mansion is quiet when they get in, Damian presumably at the docks with Bruce now. Dick ignores the stab of envy at the thought, remembering the days when he was the Robin by Batman’s side. But if Dick Grayson shows up in Gotham, Nightwing probably shouldn’t. And with Arthur and Mera down there, they don’t need him. 

Alfred makes him some hot, homemade soup that does nothing to help his nostalgia and then Dick heads up to their room for a hot shower. 

Bruce still isn’t back when he’s done thawing so he crawls into the big bed, pulls all the blankets around him and falls asleep pretty quickly-- one of the perks of their life, being able to sleep anytime anywhere. It’s that or suffer insomnia for months on end. He’s capable of both.

The bed dipping under Bruce’s weight wakes him some time later. The blinds have been drawn and he can’t see the clock on the bedside table. The other man tugs the blankets away from him gently, curls around his body. He’s a wall of heat and Dick groans happily at it, burrowing closer to Bruce.

“What time is it?” He murmurs, enjoying the quiet. 

“Little after ten.” Bruce presses a kiss to his forehead, careful of the bruise forming there. “Missed you out there.”

“Could have come with you.” 

He can feel Bruce shake his head. “Next time.” 

He nods, presses a kiss to the hollow of Bruce’s throat. 

“I asked Alfred already but are you alright? That fall,”

“I’m ok, B.” He forces his eyes open from where they slipped closed. “Got rescued by a dolphin.” 

Bruce’s eyes are endless in the darkness that cocoons them. They’re warm and Dick thinks he could willingly get lost in them forever. 

He clears his throat. 

“What was Aquaman doing in the area anyways?”

“Tracking the Loch Ness Monster apparently.” Bruce’s voice is dry. “He’s promised to give us a better heads up if anything is heading our way next time.”

“Great,” he groans. He doesn’t like the implied  _ next time _ but there always is one.

“Now,” Bruce surges up, startling Dick. He hovers above him, cages him in with his arms on either side of his body. “I think I said something earlier about what I was going to do to you after the cruise?”

Dick smirks. “Yeah, I think I remember that. Sure you’re up to it old man?” 

Bruce chuckles, dark. “I think I can manage.”

And  _ oh  _ does he. 


End file.
